We use the product for firewalls.
Senior Sales Engineer at Ingram Micro
A stable and scalable firewall solution
Pros and Cons
- "We use the product for firewalls."
- "We cannot directly upgrade the system. The tool's deployment is also very difficult in legacy environments. The tool needs to have bigger ports as well."
What is our primary use case?
What needs improvement?
We cannot directly upgrade the system. The tool's deployment is also very difficult in legacy environments. The tool needs to have bigger ports as well.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with the product for four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product is stable.
Buyer's Guide
Cisco IOS Security
August 2025

Learn what your peers think about Cisco IOS Security. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: August 2025.
865,164 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The tool is scalable.
How was the initial setup?
The tool's deployment takes around thirty minutes to complete.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The tool could be priced lower. If you want advanced services, then you need to purchase them.
What other advice do I have?
Most of our customers are from the banking and financial domain. I have chosen the product after a thorough comparison and reading through whitepapers.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner

Director at Cros Elements LLC
Powerful, easy to set up, and nice interface
Pros and Cons
- "The security is very good."
- "Sometimes I find it difficult to manage. Some configurations are difficult for new engineers, for example."
What is our primary use case?
We're using it for internet traffic security. It's for protection.
What is most valuable?
We don't have a problem with the user interface and it is pretty user-friendly.
We don't mind the cost.
The security is very good.
Cisco is very good, very powerful.
It's a reliable, stable product in general. It's better than the competition.
The product is easy to set up.
It is a stable product.
We find the product to be scalable.
What needs improvement?
How to improve the solution depends on the usage.
Sometimes I find it difficult to manage. Some configurations are difficult for new engineers, for example.
It could be more flexible.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for the last ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a very stable, reliable product. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's a scalable product.
We have 500 to 600 people using the solution.
How are customer service and support?
Before, it was very easy to get in touch with support. However, it's become more difficult. It can take a long time to get an answer. We also have to deal with time differences, which can make it harder to get an answer.
How was the initial setup?
It is very easy for me to implement the solution. It's very good, it's very easy. There are command planning and equations. Cisco is very simple. We don't have issue with Cisco.
The deployment depends on the product you use and the network design.
You can do it in small batches. It can take some time to refresh. It might take one or two days.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The cost may be around $5,000 to $10,000 a year. If you want support you have to pay at least this price.
What other advice do I have?
We are a Cisco customer and end-user.
We've been using the mid-range version since 2012.
I'd rate the solution around eight out of ten.
Cisco is great. It's likely number one in the world. I'd recommend the solution as it is a very powerful product. However, it's best to have Cisco experts on staff or available to you to make things easier.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Cisco IOS Security
August 2025

Learn what your peers think about Cisco IOS Security. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: August 2025.
865,164 professionals have used our research since 2012.
IT proffesional at Ambo university
A leading security solution that integrates easily with other Cisco products
Pros and Cons
- "Cisco products are very secure and integrate easily with other devices."
- "The graphical user interface or the GUI could be better. Beginners can use some devices with the GUI, but some security devices are configured using CLI. It would also be better if it had its own Intrusion Protection Service and Intrusion Detection Service on the server."
What is our primary use case?
We use Cisco IOS Security for integration purposes. We have Cisco features and Cisco devices in our organization. We use it as an integration system for Cisco devices.
What is most valuable?
Cisco products are very secure and integrate easily with other devices.
What needs improvement?
The graphical user interface or the GUI could be better. Beginners can use some devices with the GUI, but some security devices are configured using CLI. It would also be better if it had its own Intrusion Protection Service and Intrusion Detection Service on the server.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Cisco IOS Security for more than three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Cisco IOS Security has been stable so far.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The device is not scalable because the device was manufactured with a specific product specification. To scale, you have to plan and add more devices. We have about 12,000 users.
How are customer service and support?
They are supportive and have the technical skills to support us. If I have challenges with a Cisco product, they help me based on their subscription fee.
On a scale from one to five, I would give Cisco technical support a five.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward for IT users. It takes about one hour to implement this solution because we have to upgrade the framework on some of the devices.
On a scale from one to five, I would give the initial setup a five.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Cisco IOS Security is not very expensive, and pricing depends on where you live. It's affordable for both individuals and institutions.
On a scale from one to five, I would give Cisco's pricing a four.
What other advice do I have?
We chose Cisco because the company has an excellent market rating, users are familiar with Cisco, and they can deploy Cisco products. Using Cisco also improves the security mechanism of all devices from end to end.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Cisco IOS Security an eight.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Senior Solution Architect at Zak Solution
Scalable solution with good technical support services
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is stable."
- "The solution’s setup process could be better."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution to secure data centres for clients.
What is most valuable?
The solution has the best features for routers embedded with firewall capabilities. It helps us protect the network.
What needs improvement?
The solution’s setup process could be better. It is complex regarding troubleshooting, and only highly skilled engineers can resolve it.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using the solution for 15 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable solution. We have more than 100 clients using the solution.
How are customer service and support?
The solution's technical support is excellent. The team includes certified engineers.
How was the initial setup?
The solution's initial setup process is easy if you are highly skilled in handling the troubleshooting part. The deployment takes around two to three weeks, depending on the requirements.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We can purchase the solution's licenses as per specific business requirements.
What other advice do I have?
The solution provides a robust system. I advise others to understand the technology to use the system with ease.
I rate it a ten out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Senior Presale Agent
Beneficial posturing, scales well, and helpful support
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of Cisco IOS Security is posturing."
- "Cisco IOS Security could improve by having more compatibility with other Cisco solutions."
What is our primary use case?
The main purpose of Cisco IOS Security is for our data center. It connects each node and user to the network.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Cisco IOS Security is posturing.
What needs improvement?
Cisco IOS Security could improve by having more compatibility with other Cisco solutions.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Cisco IOS Security for approximately three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Cisco IOS Security is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of Cisco IOS Security is good. I can increase and decrease elements when needed.
We have approximately 45,000 people that can use the solution. Additionally, We have approximately 1,000 IT managers, technicians, and other users who directly use this solution.
How are customer service and support?
The support from Cisco IOS Security was very helpful.
I rate the support from Cisco IOS Security a four out of ten.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I previously used another similar solution.
How was the initial setup?
I can do all the implementation of the solutions through the Cisco DNA Center. I can manage the Cisco IOS Security configuration. The whole process can be complex. Additionally, when we cannot connect to the internet we need to do manual configuration.
The full setup can take a couple of hours. However, initially, it took to use a couple of weeks.
What about the implementation team?
We did the implementation of Cisco IOS Security in-house.
We have two service engineers that are involved in the deployment and maintenance of the solution. They have the appropriate training needed to support the solution.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Cisco IOS Security an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Network Architect at Syriatel Mobile Telecom
Secure, cost effective, and easy to install
Pros and Cons
- "It is less expensive than alternative firewalls."
- "While Cisco IOS Security is stable and scalable, I would like to see it improved to be even better."
What is our primary use case?
We can use iOS security for a variety of security features. We can use it to run DPM. We run encrypted data and can use it for zone-based firewalls, to a zone-based firewall.
I use VPN solutions such as site-to-site or user-site VPN, and some do not require a firewall.
What is most valuable?
It is less expensive than alternative firewalls.
What needs improvement?
While Cisco IOS Security is stable and scalable, I would like to see it improved to be even better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Cisco IOS Security for three months.
I use version 12.4 and I use 15 and above for the router.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Cisco IOS Security is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Cisco IOS Security is a scalable solution.
We have approximately 50 users.
How are customer service and support?
We have not contacted technical support.
I don't have any critical issues, and I haven't had any open technical tickets with support. Everything is fine, but I work in security with multi-media solutions. We haven't had any problems.
How was the initial setup?
The installation is straightforward. It's easy, we didn't have any problems with the installation of Cisco IOS Security.
I have three or four technical teams to help me work on publishing.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Cisco IOS Security requires a license.
With Cisco, we have a variety of licenses. They have smart licenses that can be provided for one year, two years, three years, five years, and seven years. Alternatively, they have perpetual licenses available. I am working with a perpetual license, but not a smart license.
What other advice do I have?
Before we can use any security feature on the Cisco router, we must first purchase an iOS security license.
Yes, I would recommend this solution. It is more stable and less expensive than other firewalls. In some cases, it saves money for the project or the companies that work with it.
I would rate Cisco IOS Security an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Sr. Security and Enterprise Architect at a security firm with 11-50 employees
Great security and automation with helpful technical assistance
Pros and Cons
- "Cisco Technical Assistance Center works on a follow-the-sun concept and gives real 24x7 customer support, which is a great advantage when you have a service contract with them."
- "There are the usual bugs that are inherent to some software upgrades. Sometimes this provides some unexpected issues, however, it happens with all brands all the time."
What is our primary use case?
The solution is used for enterprise and NAC connectivity.
This kind of technology has the advantage of being very flexible to any size organization. It is a cornerstone as a part of the basic network infrastructure.
It can be used as a simple switch to connect your network devices with security features embedded - such as port security, for example. This allows companies to limit to a fixed address per port, avoiding external or malicious assets for accessing the network.
For example, if you have a retail business, and you have a lot of small stores spread nationwide, you just need to connect some cameras and sales points to the network. iOS security solutions allow you to have a secure LAN and you could add a secure WAN connection through your Internet provider with LTE links as backups. You can set up on-demand VPN connections from store to store for voice/video calls, or do inventory queries direct to the HQ database.
How has it helped my organization?
As a Cisco partner/reseller, security has been a concern for many years. Cisco has a security concept that begins right when you try to connect to the network. Security is a complete system and is not just put on security devices at the perimeter or between tiers inside a data center.
iOS on routers is a mature solution, allowing easy setup of a traditional ISAKMP V1 or V2 VPN, and a very mature proprietary VPN flavor called DMVPN. DMVPN allows on-demand VPN establishment with minimal setup configuration and creates a pseudo full mesh avoiding bottlenecks.
Cisco Technical Assistance Center works on a follow-the-sun concept and gives real 24x7 customer support, which is a great advantage when you have a service contract with them.
What is most valuable?
The best features include the Auto Secure script, port security, spanning-tree root and loop guard, 802.1x, DMVPN, GET VPN, SD-Access, and Secure SD-WAN.
The software offers plenty of security solutions that can work in the most sophisticated enterprise but also works well for small/mid-range enterprises.
A simple switch is able to run basic security as port security, limiting the MAC addresses allowed on a port, or by running a script you can set up ACL and some control plane policies to protect control and management planes and basic DoS protection.
The same software is able to work with sophisticated security options going from the basic 802.1x to MACSEC, NAC, and trustsec, and can be integrated with automation tools in order to do auto onboarding tasks (for wired devices), profiling, and more interesting security tasks.
It allows for easy traditional ISAKMP V1 or V2 VPN setups and has a very mature proprietary VPN flavor called DMVPN. DMVPN allows on-demand VPN establishment with minimal setup configuration involved and creates a pseudo full mesh (avoiding bottlenecks as a hub-spoke topology does). Dynamic VPN establishment allows spoke-to-spoke traffic flow on-demand, optimizing VoIP/SIP calls setting up direct tunnels among spokes, reducing latency compared with a hub/spoke topology.
Switch and router iOS can be automated and orchestrated with secure SD-WAN and SD-Access Cisco solutions. Having the iOS software is relevant for small and large enterprises; it works fine for all size networks.
What needs improvement?
There are the usual bugs that are inherent to some software upgrades. Sometimes this provides some unexpected issues, however, it happens with all brands all the time.
Some additional features could be improved. For example, the licensing for DNA environments could be better. In some countries, the end-user does not want to go to orchestration/automation environments. They just want to have a small network for their small budget and they never will go to these environments. They consider it unfair that they have to pay for a license/subscription that will never be used.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for ten or more years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product is very scalable.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is great.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
My customers have used other brands that just gave connectivity and did not offer security over LAN switches. The VPN scheme was limited to site-to-site over hub-and-spoke topologies.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We are the vendor team that handles implementations.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Cisco is not a cost-effective brand, however, in the end, you get what you pay for. Regarding licensing, some customers will not use automation/orchestration environments and do not like to pay a subscription for something they will never use.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. I have 20+ years of experience working on cisco partners, but I do have Cisco Infrastruchture on my own company and the enunciated solutions are currently running as if I were another more customer too.
Sr. Security and Enterprise Architect at a security firm with 11-50 employees
Reliable hardware, highly stable, and global technical support
Pros and Cons
- "One of the main features is that the hardware is extremely reliable."
- "I think they should bring back remote VPN for users."
What is most valuable?
One of the main features is that the hardware is extremely reliable.
What needs improvement?
I think they should bring back remote VPN for users. However, I understand the attempt is to have these functions inside the firewalls and not the routers or the IOS devices.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of the solution is great. I feel very confident working with them because I have a customer that has a router running for almost 10 years and in other cases more than 10 years.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support has been impressive. I know there are no other brands that have the same good service.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have been working with Palo Alto Networks and Fortinet in the past but they do not have technical assistance centers around the globe as this solution does. However, Palo Alto solutions are more intuitive, the graphic user interface is better, and has higher performance. Cisco is catching up and closing the gap with new releases.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Palo Alto networks are more expensive than this solution and this is why you will see more products like this one in Mexico.
I have been working with the next-generation firewalls by Palo Alto and the license tends to be better. For example, Palo Alto Wildfire, the licensing is more dynamic than Cisco products.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Cisco IOS Security an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

Buyer's Guide
Download our free Cisco IOS Security Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Updated: August 2025
Popular Comparisons
Fortinet FortiGate
Netgate pfSense
OPNsense
Darktrace
Cisco Secure Firewall
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls
Cato SASE Cloud Platform
Juniper SRX Series Firewall
Fortinet FortiGate-VM
KerioControl
Untangle NG Firewall
Fortinet FortiOS
Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention
Check Point IPS
Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Cisco IOS Security Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Quick Links
Learn More: Questions:
- What do you recommend for a corporate firewall implementation?
- Comparison of Barracuda F800, SonicWall 5600 and Fortinet
- Sophos XG 210 vs Fortigate FG 100E
- Which is the best network firewall for a small retailer?
- When evaluating Firewalls, what aspect do you think is the most important to look for?
- Cyberoam or Fortinet?
- Fortinet, Palo Alto or Check Point?
- If you could go back, would you change your decision to buy that firewall and why?
- Sophos XG vs Fortigate UTM
- Can you recommend a solution to replace Cyberoam 200ing Firewall?